their promise
by Snorkiegurl
Summary: With the decision already made by the professors, Hermione has a lot to think about this year. During a meeting with Dumbledore, much is unveiled that may put a damper on a much anticipated opportunity. Takes place 6th year. HGDM
1. Oddity in the Leaky Cauldron

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything in this story. All of the characters in the Harry Potter series are J.K. Rowling's. 

**A/N:** I'm so excited! This is my first fic, so please, please, PLEASE be nice! Read and review. Tell me if u like it, or if I should just stop, okay? Please enjoy!

SG

**--------------------------**

**Chapter 1: Oddity in the Leaky Cauldron**

It was a warm, late summer afternoon towards the end of summer holidays, and Hermione was busying herself by making a check-off list of the things she needed to bring for her sixth year at Hogwarts. Books, rolls of parchment, new quills, and new school robes were just a few of the numerous items on her list; it was obvious that she needed to go to Diagon Alley within the next week. 

            Knowing she would like a bit of company, Hermione scribbled two letters that said the same thing, except for the names in which they were addressed to:

            _Hope your holidays are concluding well! Maybe we should meet at Diagon Alley a week before term starts? We should all meet this coming Sunday at __noon__ in the Leaky Cauldron. If you don't mind, please send a reply with Taffy, and I hope to see you there!_

_                                    Hermione G. _

She attached the letters to her new brown barn owl, Taffy, who was a gift from her parents, as they knew she needed a way of contacting her friends in the wizarding world. Taffy was her best friend for the summer, for her big coffee eyes always seemed to care and listen. Her friends from grade school no longer wished to be around her, for they thought it weird that she disappeared every year and then returned for a few months; even though she explained over and over again that she went to a 'private school'. She looked at her companion and started explaining what needed to be done.  

            "Okay, Taffy, take one to Ron, and then the other to Harry. Oh, and _do be careful this time at Harry's. I wouldn't like another episode like the last time."_

            Back in July, when Hermione sent Taffy to Harry with his birthday gift, Taffy accidentally dropped the parcel in his aunt's soup. Hermione received an anxious letter apologizing for any emotional damage Petunia may have caused the young bird. 

            Hermione watched Taffy until she was out of sight and then curled up onto her bed and picked up her list. Crookshanks jumped up onto her bed and playfully pawed at her foot, while she giggled and put down the list.

            "Are you ready for a new year?" she asked the cat while picking him up and putting him on her lap. "Maybe this year you will be successful in tracking down Mrs. Norris?" she smiled to herself when Crookshanks rolled over on his back and stuck his feet in the air, willing Hermione to rub his belly.

            Hermione picked the list back up while subconsciously patting a purring Crookshanks and reviewed it for the tenth time, making sure nothing was forgotten.

            A sudden loneliness over came her like darkness, which lead her to set the list down again. She nudged her half-asleep cat off her lap, to much of his dismay, and scrambled up off her bed. She walked over to her desk and picked up a box of letters she had kept during the summer holidays and carried it back to her bed. She curled up with a pillow and opened the box, shifting the many letters she had received. 

            One letter in particular made her smile fondly. It was the one in which Ron had finally admitted his undying love for her, which she naturally already knew about. She told Ron in a correspondence that though she was very flattered, she knew that it would only ruin the friendship they had, and besides, she enjoyed the continuous bantering that occurred between them. Obviously let down, he explained that he understood, and agreed that pursuing a relationship could possibly ruin their friendship. He did, however, admit that he was relieved that it was now out in the open. Little did he know, Harry and Hermione had already suspected it, but neither had the heart to confront him about it.

            Pushing aside letter after letter, not looking for any one in particular, Hermione came across the one Harry sent after Taffy had the run-in with his aunt, Petunia. It was apparent, by the state of his handwriting, that Harry had hurried to write the letter.

            _'Mione,_

_                        I'm terribly sorry if Taffy is now emotionally unable to send letters. Aunt Petunia is becoming quite bothered by all of the "disturbances" that have been happening around here lately. Fred and George thought it would be funny to send enchanted dung bombs that exploded when Dudley and I fought for the package and it opened. Not to mention that Ron tried calling me again. It was disastrous.  I'm still being punished for it. Well, again, I am extremely sorry for what happened. _

_            I hope to hear from you soon,_

_                        Harry_

Hermione folded the letter back up and closed the box. Sighing heavily, she got up off her bed and set the box back on her desk. 

            "Why does the end of summer holidays have to be so incredibly boring?" she thought to herself. 

            She figured that she should return to her list, checking it one more time before her mother called her down for dinner. She set down her list and went downstairs to enjoy a wonderful meal that her mother had prepared. 

            Believing that it was much too quiet at the Granger dinner table, Hermione struck up a conversation about going into Diagon Alley the Sunday that was coming up. Her parents agreed that they would take her to see Harry and Ron, and that they would sit in the Leaky Cauldron until she was finished shopping for school things. They have been doing this ever since Mr. Weasley had the run-in with Lucius Malfoy, where they discovered that not everyone in the magic world had a respectful opinion of non-magic people.  Hermione felt quite sad for her parents, for they never really spent much time talking to her about what she did at school or with her friends. All they knew was that she was doing extremely well in school and that she was making friends fairly easily, after they got over her zealousness for homework. 

            "Do you ever feel as if I leave you out in certain areas of my life, such as my school and the wizarding world?" Hermione asked her mom as her dad picked up his plate and then her mother's to take them into the kitchen.

            "Well, dear, I'm not sure I feel left out, just ignorant," she started, sounding somewhat ashamed, "I don't know anything about magic, therefore it is difficult for me to understand what you are learning and what you are going through at school."

            "I understand. I just wish that it didn't have to be that way. Sometimes I feel bad for not being around during the year, and then when I am home, I am usually talking about Hogwarts or the homework that I need to do over the holidays." Hermione said this with a hint of guilt in her voice, causing her mom to shake her head.

            "Do not feel guilty, sweetie. It is not your fault that you are a witch. You are perfect the way you are, and your father and I love you for you, not for all of the things you can do but we can't. We are so proud of you," her mother paused for just a second to catch her breath and then continued, "To be at the top of your class and not have a bit of wizard in you is remarkable."

            They both sat in silence while Hermione's dad whistled in the kitchen while he washed the dishes. That was how it worked in the Granger house- Mrs. Granger cooked the meals, and Mr. Granger washed the dishes. Suddenly, a large crash occurred in the kitchen that sounded like several dishes broke.

            "Are you okay, Dad? Do you need some help?" Hermione asked frantically, worried for her father's safety.

            "I'm fine, sweetie, but do you think you could fix these dishes for me?" he asked this, knowing perfectly well that she could fix anything in a moment's time. This summer it seemed as if he broke things on purpose just so he could see her fix them with magic. 

            Hermione rolled her eyes and answered, "Sure, Dad, I'm just glad that you are okay. I will be there in a second." She got up and walked into the kitchen. After a few, "Wow's!" and "Incredible's," she finished fixing all of the plates that were broken: a total of four.

            "I'm going to go to bed," Hermione started as she yawned, "Be careful, Dad, I don't want you to wake me up in the middle of the night to ask me to fix something else." 

            "Okay, I'll try," he answered, "though, I am a bit clumsy, so if I _do break something, I know where to go." She teasingly gave a huge sigh at her dad and rolled her eyes again while he gave her a hug goodnight. _

            "Goodnight, Mom, I love you. And thank you for talking with me about, well, you know," she said this, eyeing her dad as if to say that they were talking about him.            

            "What? What were you guys talking about?" he asked curiously, "Now I want to know. Were you talking about me? I thought you were supposed to be my daughter, and you my wife! Hrmmph… I feel so _betrayed_," with that, he dramatically turned on his heal as Hermione did whenever she was upset and left the room, obviously mimicking his daughter.

            "Hey! That's not funny! I do NOT act like that!" she laughed hysterically as her dad turned back around and gave a pouty face. "Mom, tell him to stop! I am NOT like that!"

            "Of course you aren't, dear," her mother answered, sarcastically, trying to stifle her obvious laughter, "Honey, please stop making false accusations towards our daughter! We are supposed to be _family_." Her stress on the word 'family' made her two companions burst with roaring laughter. 

            "Okay. This time I really _am_ going to bed. Thank you for _defending_ me, Mother Dearest. Father, goodnight." She said this with utmost respect, although playfully. 

            "Goodnight, Mimi," her father called.

            "'Night," she called down to them.

            In her room, she found Taffy perched in her cage asleep with her head under her wing. On her bed were two letters that were addressed to Hermione. She opened the first one, which was from Ron, according to the handwriting:

            _'Mione,_

_                        Sure, my family was planning on going that day, anyways. I'll make sure Ginny knows that you will be coming. She seems to look up to you as more than just a best friend now; she seems to think you are the 'sister she never had'. Well, I guess I will see you then._

_                                    Ron_

She folded it back up and picked up the next, thinking that it was obviously the one from Harry. When she opened it, however, she found that that was not the case. In chicken-scratch writing, she read:

            _Mudblood,_

_                        It looks like your pathetic bird brought your letter to the wrong person. I am not your pretty boy Potter, thank God for that. I think you know who this is, however, because you somehow always figure these things out. It doesn't mean that you are as intelligent as me, of course, because you are nothing but a muggle born wannabe know-it-all. I don't even know why I am taking time out of my precious day to write back to you. So whatever, hope I don't see you at Hogwarts!_

"Malfoy," she muttered to herself after she read the letter. He was always calling her names, which, though she will never admit to anyone, honestly hurt her feelings. She thought she was silly every time she let something that ferret boy said get to her. "I'll just write to Harry in the morning," she thought to herself. 

            She changed into her satin pajamas and climbed into her bed. Immediately, Crookshanks jumped onto the end of her bed and lay down.

            "Goodnight Crookshanks," she muttered in the dark, answered by a soft meow. She drifted in and out of consciousness until she finally fell into a deep sleep.

*                      *                      *                      * 

            "Okay! I'm ready!" Hermione shouted up to her parents from downstairs. "I'll be in the care waiting for you guys!"

            "Alright, dear!" shouted her mother back, sounding quite muffled, for the door to her bedroom was closed.

            "Ugg, bloody parents always making me late!" she sighed, knowing that her parents would be down in only a few moments, but still perturbed in the least. 

            She climbed into the back seat of her parent's car and waited, making sure that she had the key to the vault at Gringotts and the list that she had made just days before. Chewing anxiously on her lip, she wondered whether or not her parents were ever going to come out when the door from the house into the garage opened and her parents emerged.

            "Okay! Off to London!" her mother said, slipping gracefully into the passenger seat while her dad fell into the driver's. 

            "Just calm down, Mimi," her dad said, "I'm sure your friends won't mind if we are two minutes late." He grinned at her through the rear view mirror, knowing that he had just pushed one of her buttons- joking about tardiness.

             The trip to London was an easy one, as it only took about 30 minutes. Mr. Granger parked in front of the seemingly abandoned building called the Leaky Cauldron, and got out to open his wife's door. 

            "Here you go, my dear!" he smiled, knowing that his wife loved it when he was so ridiculously adorable.

            "Thank you, sir," she rallied back, hoping that she would get a reaction out of him. Instead, however, he just held out is arm after closing her door and let her take hold of it. This particular roll-playing was typical of them, which made it obvious that they were completely in love. Hermione rolled her eyes at them, though noting that at least they did not fight, and followed them into the Leaky Cauldron.

            "Hermione!" she heard her name called by what sounded like a crowd of people and she turned to realize that it was Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George. 

            "Hi you guys. How has everything been?" she asked while walking towards them with her parents in toe. 

            "It's good," said Harry, "though I had forgot how big of a pain in the arse Dudley was until he tried to glue the lock on my school trunk shut. He wasn't smart enough to check if I had my wand out of there, though, so it wasn't as if he did something clever, though I'm sure he thought he was at the time."

            Hermione smiled and laughed at the dopy facial expressions Harry made when he was describing Dudley. 

            "That's not as bad as what I had to deal with this summer," Ron said, with a sick green tint to his face, "George turned things into spiders and put them in my bed. I couldn't sleep for days," he shuddered, looking in the direction of his brother.

            They stood at the bar drinking butterbeer for awhile and chatted about how their summers went. It seemed that Harry had a better summer than previous years because his aunt somewhat understood that he was going through. She was not nearly as sour towards him, but still did not want much interaction with him. No interaction was better than negative interaction, however. Ron seemed to have spent a summer full of pranks, for Fred and George opened their joke shop right after finishing at Hogwarts (with the money Harry gave them for the Triwizard Tournament), therefore their tricks were lying around the house everywhere. 

            Hermione told them that nothing much had happened to her over the summer, except for whenever they would all meet over at the Burrow. She did, however, tell them of the letter that she received from Malfoy.

            "That little prat. I could kill him..." Ron muttered this under his breathe, trying to keep it from the other two but failing. 

            Just after Ron threatened this, there was loud screaming and shouting coming from the stairs that lead to the rooms. The trio turned around to see what was causing the chaos. They did not have to look for long before Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy came storming down the stairs, yelling at each other, using profane language.

            "Why the fuck to you think I didn't go with you? Are you really _that dense?" Malfoy screamed at his father. _

            "Don't you _dare talk to me in that tone, Son. We are in public. You must control your emotions. You know you must not show that you are weak," Lucius hissed in a low whisper. _

            "I'm sick and tired of all this bull shit that you have been teaching me! That's all you have been instructing me with! Fucking bull shit! You're a fucking coward, and you know it!" at this, Malfoy rushed out of the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Lucius standing in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron, staring into the faces of those around him. 

            "Boys will be boys," was all he said before walking out of the door behind his son. 

            "That was odd," was all Harry could say while Ron agreed with an "I'll say", and Hermione just nodded, saying "Very odd."

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Whew! My first chapter! I hope you all liked it! Please read and review! (and give any tips, if you'd like!)


	2. Dumbledore's Announcement

**Disclaimer: **Everything here is JK Rowling's. I own none of it. L

**A/N:** Thank you to all of you who reviewed my first chapter! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I have no internet on my new computer ::sighs:: It's been really frustrating, but hopefully I will get internet access soon so I won't have to save on a disk and post on a different computer like I had to for this one. The encouragement of those who reviewed has really helped, though! I hope you all like this chapter! Again, please read and review and give any suggestions that you may have.

**Chapter 2: Dumbledore's Announcement **

            All of a sudden, there was a loud knocking on Hermione's door. Thinking that she was at home, she answered, "Not now, Mum, I still have a few minutes left." When the knocking didn't subside, Hermione sat up slowly and opened her eyes.

            She noticed that she was not at home when she noted that her window was on the left side of the bed, rather than on the right as it was at home. 

            "Duh," she muttered to herself. 

            Finally realizing that she was in her room at the Leaky Cauldron, she called, "Who is it?" and Harry's voice came from the other side of the door. 

            "Hermione? Are you awake?" he asked.

            "No, I usually carry on conversations with other people in my sleep," she answered back, somewhat annoyed by his mistake.

            "Oh, well, Mrs. Weasley told me to wake you up, because it is about time to head off to the station," Harry said, a little embarrassed. 

            Looking back at her clock, she realized that she had about an hour and a half to get all of her things in order. 

            "Okay, Harry, thanks!" she yelled back, throwing the covers off of her and scrambling off of her bed. 

            "I can't believe that I didn't wake up until now," she muttered, frustrated with herself, "I thought I set this stupid alarm. Man, now I have barely enough time to…" she continued to scold herself for not waking up on time while quickly getting dressed and packing all of the things that she bought in Diagon Alley the day before. She didn't have much time to do anything once she got back from eating downstairs the night before, for she threw her things on the ground and passed out on her bed from exhaustion. 

            Once she had gathered all of her things together and checked the room several times for any possible misplaced socks, she opened the door to her room and struggled to drag her now incredibly full trunk out into the hall. Without watching where she was going, she bumped into someone walking past her room and knocked them down, her trunk going down with them.

            "Watch it, Mudblood," spat a venomous voice as Hermione looked down to see a disheveled Malfoy pulling himself up.

            "If you were looking where you were going, you wouldn't have run into me, Malfoy," she rallied back, with the same disgust that Malfoy had when he realized whom he had been knocked down by.

            "You had better be careful how you talk to people, _Mudblood_. You never know if the person you talk back to is one who wants to kill you. You're lucky I don't have my wand with me. I would have hexed you the moment I saw who you were," he warned, threatening her.

            "Well, then I guess that makes _you_ lucky that you _didn't_ have your wand," she stated, her face growing hot with anger, "because everyone knows that in a match with me, you wouldn't have lasted a minute." 

            At this, Malfoy laughed, "You wish you were as good as me," he started to walk away, "Oh, and by the way, Granger, your trunk came open. Nice bra," he looked down at a spot on the floor, "Too bad it has to be wasted on someone so filthy and pathetic." 

            Satisfied with the somewhat defeated and embarrassed look on Hermione's face, Malfoy continued down the hall the way he was going and went into his room, which was just a few rooms down from her own. 

            "Stupid ferret," she said to herself, clearly upset. She sighed an obviously frustrated sigh and snatched her bra and stuffed it back into her trunk and shut it; this time, with magic. She went back into her room to gather the rest of her things when she heard someone knocking on the frame of her door.

            "'Mione?" she heard Ron's faltering voice ask, "do you need any help with anything?"

            Hermione turned and smiled at her red-eared friend, "Sure. Could you carry Taffy's cage out?" she asked.

            Ron's face immediately brightened, "Of course." He stumbled across her room, moving a little too quickly and tripping on the rug by her bed, causing him to bump into Hermione and knock them both onto her bed.

            "I'm s-sorry, 'M-Mione," he stuttered, too shocked to move.

            Hermione laughed, "Don't worry about it, Ron. Accidents happen."

            Ron started to get off of her when they both turned to the door when they heard a voice.

            "I _knew_ there had to be a reason why you hung out with her, Weasel," Malfoy smirked, eyeing them in suspicion after walking past Hermione's open door, "Even the likes of _you_ should know how shameful it is to be involved with a _mudblood_," he stood, leaned against the frame of the door with an evil grin on his face.

            "Mal-foy… um, this isn't what it looks like. I-I, uh, tripped over the rug and then fell on top of Hermione and we fell down, on the bed. So, you see, it was an, uh, accident," Ron tried to explain what exactly had happened, but failed to convincingly sway Malfoy.

            "I've tried that one, Weasel, and I know for a fact that it doesn't work," he sneered at Ron and turned to Hermione, "So, you're moving up in the world, I see," he grinned mischieviously, "Got tired of wee ittle Potty? Well, that's understandable."

            "You know, Malfoy, what I don't understand is why you keep spending your 'precious time' on making sure that I've been miserable this whole time I have been here. If I wasn't worth it, then why do you keep pestering me?" Hermione argued, with her forehead screwed up.

            Malfoy laughed, "Oh, _you're_ not worth it, alright, but I do enjoy the reactions I get out of you and your two pet lemmings," he smirked.

            Hermione sighed, "I guess I can't blame you," she started, getting a surprised look from Malfoy and one of disgust from Ron, "You know all those times your two _enlarged_ lemmings' potions exploded? I did _that_ for their reactions, as well." With that, Hermione walked up to her door and paused for a moment, "Goodbye, Malfoy, don't spend too much time thinking about why I slammed the door in your face, okay?" Hermione grabbed the handle, smiled at a shocked Malfoy, and slammed the door.

            Hermione turned to see a drop-jawed Ron standing a few feet away from her. After a few moments of staring, his face lit up and a smile brightened it even more.

            "That was… amazing," Ron started, not surprised that she was clever enough to say such a thing, but surprised that she had been so rash with Malfoy, when she typically just ignored him. 

            "Well, I'm getting tired of him thinking that he can push me around without me having a say. It's high time that ferret learns that he isn't what the whole world revolves around. I think it would do him some good, don't you think?" Hermione asked, but Ron just shook his head.

            "I don't think that even if someone hit him over the head and he got amnesia it would do him any good," Ron commented, and Hermione smiled.

            "Ron, Hermione, are you guys in here?" They both turned to the door when they heard Harry's voice on the other side.

            Hermione walked to the door and opened it, relieved to not see a blonde head in the hall. "Ron's just helping me get the last of my things out into the hall," she stated, also relieved to see that her trunk was still there. 

            "You missed it, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, hurrying to the door, "Hermione just told Malfoy off! It was incredible," he smiled fondly at Hermione, which made her shift a little uncomfortably.

            "You mean, Malfoy was just here, and I wasn't here to hex him? Man, just my luck," he said, trying to lift the tension that was obviously bugging Hermione. 

            "Are you dears ready?" Mrs. Weasley had just come out of her room, and saw them all out in the hall.

            "Um, yeah, we are," Hermione said, "just give me a couple of minutes to check my room one more time."

            "Alright, Hermione. Ron, Harry, why don't you two bring Hermione's trunk over here so we can put all of our things in the same spot," Mrs. Weasley requested while Hermione quickly made her last once over, and picked up Taffy's and Crookshanks' cages and left her room.

            Once she got into the hall, everyone else was out there chatting about which compartment they would use and, of course, Ron and Harry were talking enthusiastically about the new Quidditch season. Fred and George had to say their goodbyes before the rest of them went to King's Cross Station, for they had to go to work in their joke shop. Mrs. Weasley told Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry that it was time to leave, or else they would be late, and they went out the door of the Leaky Cauldron to pack their taxi. 

            "Let's go, you four," she said to the back seat as she slipped into the passenger seat, "King's Cross Station, please," she said to the taxi driver, who was eyeing the three owl cages in the back.

*                      *                      *                      

            Once on platform 9 ¾, Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry loaded all of their things onto the train and then dashed off for a quick 'goodbye' to Mrs. Weasley, and then they settled into their compartment. 

            "It's really good to be coming back," Harry started, gazing out of the window, "I haven't had much fun."

            "But you had Dudley to experiment on, didn't you?" Ron asked with a smirk on his face.

            "Well, yeah, but it got too tedious looking for him after the first few times," Harry frowned, "Besides, I got a lot of bruises from flying frying pans whenever I did it. Aunt Petunia didn't find it too amusing."

            Hermione laughed, "Yeah, that would sort of discourage me, as well."

            Ginny sat in the corner looking out the window in silence. It seemed as though she had a lot of things on her mind, but did not want to share it with the rest of the group.

            "What's wrong, Gin?" Harry asked with obvious concern and the other two turned to look at her.

            Ginny blushed and gave a weak smile, "Oh, nothing. I'm just listening to you guys talk. Your lives are a lot more interesting than mine, after all," she added, which made Ron snicker.

            "What are you talking about? Did you forget what happened this summer, Gin?" Ron asked and Ginny's eyes widened as if to say 'you better not open your fat mouth', but either Ron did not understand her look, or he simply did not care. "Remember the trip we took to go see Bill?" he paused, and again Ginny glared at him, daring him to continue, which, of course, he did, "I _do_ remember you having a quite interesting relationship with that one guy. You know, one of Bill's friends? I saw the way you looked at him. It was completely obvious. You're just lucky that Mum and Dad didn't catch you two. He would have been skinned alive," he said in triumph, looking at Harry, who looked slightly disappointed. 

            "Really? What's his name, Gin?" Hermione asked enthusiastically.

            Ginny blushed a little and quickly said, eyeing Harry, "Gary, but I don't want to talk about that."

            Noticing that she had looked at Harry, Hermione quickly changed the subject, "So, what classes are you all taking this year?" 

            "Uggghh, Hermione, we haven't even started school yet. Besides, didn't we already discuss this year's schedual with you at the end of _last_ year?" Ron complained.

            "Seriously, Hermione. I don't want to think of Hogwarts in the school aspect just yet. I want to enjoy the thought of beating Malfoy this year in the House Cup," Harry drifted off into a mock-day dream, making his three companions laugh.

            "Harry, everyone knows that you are a better seeker than Malfoy," Hermione started, "Like you said before, he needs a handle on his broom to even think about catching the snitch."

            They all grew quiet as the compartment door opened and revealed Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. 

            "I'm glad you're a fan, Mudblood," Malfoy started, "But remember, there is _so_ much more to life than Quidditch."

            "What do you want, Malfoy? And what could _possibly_ mean more to you than Quidditch?" Hermione asked blatantly. 

            "Well, for one, good looks, which your dear Potty lacks," Malfoy started, making Harry jump up at Ron to stop him from attacking the smirking fiend, "Two, money, which is the thing you buy things with, get it, Weasel?" 

            "You stupid son of a… ummph" again, Harry held him back.

            "And three, bras," Malfoy pulled the bra that fell out of Hermione's trunk earlier that day out of his cloak and held it up for everyone to see, "even if they _do_ belong to the scum of the earth, I find them _quite_ important." With that, he threw the bra at Hermione, gave her a fake smile, and left the room, followed by Grabbe and Goyle, who were laughing stupidly. 

            After they shut the compartment door, Harry let go of Ron who turned to Hermione. 

            "Who the hell does he think he is? Why did you let him talk to you like that, Hermione?" he shouted.

            After putting her stolen bra back into her trunk, she sighed and responded, "Let him have his fun. He has _no_ idea what is coming for him," and she smiled a little devilishly to herself, apparently lost in thought.

            "You know, Hermione, you _are_ a little scary sometimes," Harry commented quietly.

*                      *                      *                      

            A week had passed, and the buzz about the start of a new year was quickly wasting away as they all settled in the routine they had followed during previous years. Ron and Harry still complained about all of the homework they received, Hermione found herself checking out books from the library every couple of days, and Malfoy continued to torture them at every possible moment. In fact, everything was so normal that when Professor Dumbledore stood up and raised his hand for the hall to quiet down, it took a while for them to be silent, for it was not always custom for him to stop them during dessert. 

            "I have an announcement to make," he started, causing everyone to look curiously at each other, "This year is very special, which will give a few of you a special opportunity. With the rise of Lord Voldemort now known to the entire wizarding world, there is a concern that students studying magic may not be as prepared for his return as many would like. Therefore, I am pleased to say that all three headmasters have agreed to an exchange student program that a few of you will be privileged to take part of."

            Hermione gasped with glee and whispered, 'wow!' while others around her seemed to have mixed emotions about the idea.

            Looking around at the students, eyes twinkling, Professor Dumbledore waited for the whispers to die down. "A few students from each house will be selected to participate. I, along with the other professors, will decide who shall go by the end of the next week. Only fifth through seventh years are permitted to go. Those fifth year students will have to prepare for their O.W.L.s while they are away and will take them when they return. I will give more information to the students chosen. Now, I am sorry that I disturbed your desserts! Please continue."

            Dumbledore sat back down and smiled when the Great Hall broke into loud whispers concerning who was going and what it was going to entail. 

            "Oh, I really _do_ hope that I am chosen," Hermione partially whispered dreamily.

            "Hermione, don't be thick. They would be stupid not to pick you. You're at the top of the entire 6th year class," Ron stated with disbelief at her uncertainty.

            "That doesn't mean that they will pick me, _Ron_," she argued back, "What if they are choosing people who they believe need to study the most? Then I may not get this chance," she said breathlessly. 

            "Don't be so dramatic," he rallied, "Everyone _knows_ that you've been wanting to see what Durmstrang looks like since _Vicky_ came here," Ron said this with a look of complete disgust on his face.

            As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that he had made a huge mistake. 

"What- Did- I- Tell- You- About- Calling- Him- That," Hermione said, her voice raising with each word.

            "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm just kidding," Ron quickly apologized, though he already knew that it did him no good. 

            "So, what class do we have first, tomorrow?" Harry asked, knowing that this question always directed Hermione's anger off of Ron.

            "Charms," Hermione said without thinking, still glaring across the table at Ron, "With Slytherin."

            "_Great_," Harry said frustratingly, "Hey, maybe we'll learn something that we can use on Malfoy?" Harry offered, knowing that he had overplayed the 'let's hex Malfoy' card when he tried to stop an argument from combusting. 

            "_Whatever_. Harry, could you pass the pie?" Hermione said, completely ignoring the fact that the pie was closer to Ron than it was to Harry.

            "And I mess up again," Ron moaned with exasperation. 

            Ginny stood up from the table and announced that she was going to go to the common room.

            "You know what, Harry, never mind. I don't want the pie," Hermione said, completely ignoring Ron's comment, "I'll go with you Ginny. Goodnight, Harry," she said, also ignoring Ron's 'goodnight, 'Mione'. 

            "Ron can be so infuriating sometimes," Hermione growled.

            "Huh, try living with him," Ginny sighed.

            Hermione smiled, but noticed that she was being quiet again.

            "Okay, Gin, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself since we got here. Even before then," Hermione asked.

            "I'm not really ready to talk about anything, okay 'Mione?" she sighed softly, "I promise you that when I'm ready to say something, I will, but right now I'm not."

            Hermione swallowed her speech on how not telling is just as bad as lying, and instead encouraged Ginny.

            "Okay, just know that I'm always here for you to talk to, okay?" she offered, which put a smile on Ginny's face.

            "Thank you, Hermione. I really need a friend like you," she added, knowing that Hermione wanted to say more, but was thankful that she didn't. 

            As soon as the girls climbed through the portrait hole, they said their goodnights and went into their separate dormitories. Hermione pulled her pajamas out of her trunk and quickly changed as she heard the rest of the Gryffindors come into the common room. Wanting to escape the gossip that would definitely follow Lavender and Parvarti, Hermione jumped into her bed and drew the curtains. 

            She listened as Lavender and Parvarti came in, chatting loudly about who they were going to ask out this year, and they noticed that Hermione's curtains were closed.

            "Hermione?" Lavender called in a loud whisper.

            "Shhh, she's asleep!" Parvarti snapped at Lavender and started to whisper excitedly about how cute some of the boys in their house had become over the summer.

            "Ron got so tall, and he looks _so_ much more muscular than he did last year, don't you think?" Lavender 'whispered' to Parvarti.

            "Ohh! Yes, I did notice that. And Harry doesn't look too bad himself. He filled out a bit, don't you think? He's not as scrawny as he used to be."

            Choosing not to hear any more of their conversation, for it was starting to make her head hurt, Hermione closed her eyes and focused on one thing. She finally fell asleep, blocking out the two gossiping girls in the background, thinking about what it would be like to be a foreign exchange student.

Well, another chapter finished! What do you think? You can always tell me in a review… hint, hint. Just kidding. But please, review and tell me what I should or shouldn't do!

-SG 


	3. The Meeting

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling owns all of the Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter series. I own none of it.

**A/N: **I'm sooo sorry that this took so long to update… life is so crazy right now, and it's hard to find time when I an sit down and write… well, this is the third chapter, so I hope that you like it! R&R, please!!!

-SG

**Chapter 3: The Meeting**

            The next few days seemed to go by slower than the one before. The students at Hogwarts all had suspicions of who would be going away for the year, but none were certain as to what the professors were looking for. There were rumors that those who needed extra help would be attending other schools, but most believed that they would have exceptionally high marks in their classes. Nonetheless, no one knew exactly what to expect, but they knew that the answer would be revealed soon, for it was now exactly a week from when Professor Dumbledore had made the first announcement.

            A mixture of tension and excitement filled the Great Hall at supper on Monday, for the students knew that Professor Dumbledore would stand up during supper and put an end to the rumors that were blossoming around Hogwarts. At this time, Dumbledore was seated next to Professor McGonagall, laughing and chatting while she politely smiled, but eyed the rest of the room; completely aware of the multiplying eyes that were watching them talk. She cleared her throat and spoke quietly to the Headmaster, and he turned his head to look at the many faces of his students.

            Ron didn't seem to mind all of the tension, however, because he was talking to Harry about the upcoming Quidditch practices at the Gryffindor table.

"So, I told Lee that the key to being a good keeper is that…" Ron started to tell Harry when he was interrupted by Hermione.

"Ron, be quite, Dumbledore's about to announce who is going to go," she snapped.

"Sheesh, 'Mione, you need to learn to keep calm, cool, and collective," he said while making huge arm gestures that suggested that he was 'cool' and Harry laughed.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and stared attentively at the professor.

With a grin somewhat hidden behind his beard and sparkling eyes, Professor Dumbledore finally stood up and watched as the chattering stopped completely, for each student had been watching him the entire dinner. He continued to watch the students while he, purposely, it seemed, made them wait in anticipation.

            "I am very well aware of the rumors that have been floating around our school for the past week," he started, beaming at the young students, "and am now very proud to announce who will be participating in the foreign exchange program. I am pleased to announce that there will be three students from each house. These students were selected for their outstanding marks in their classes and for their show of excellence in defense against the dark arts." By this time, most of the students had a good idea of who would be going; at least, that is, from one house.

            "From Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbot, and Ernie Macmillan, congratulations," he smiled and took a break until the shouts from the Hufflepuff table stifled. "From Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, Michael Corner, and Marietta Edgecombe," he paused again until the noise died down, "From Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini," soft 'boos' came from the other tables, "And lastly, those going from Gryffindor are Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter."

            As soon as all of the names had been called, there were cheers from all tables, but after a while the ruckus quieted.

            "Can you believe it?" Hermione asked, turning her attention back onto the two boys, "We're actually going!"

            "Calm down, Hermione," Ron said, "We should have known. I mean, look at all of the stuff we've done these past couple of years. First, we helped Harry to save the Sorcerer's Stone, then, we, well, you weren't actually there, but we found and went down into the Chamber of Secrets…"

            "With _my_ help," Hermione stared in disbelief.

            "Besides, Ron, it doesn't matter what we did before. That was the past. We should be thinking about this year, not the ones we have already been through," Harry stated, making them both turn to him.

            "You're right, Harry, let's just think about all of the things we are going to learn from those at Durmstrang. They have learned different things than we have," Hermione commented.

            "Hey, you guys, congratulations," they stopped talking and turned to see a somewhat disappointed Ginny, "I am so happy for you guys. You will have so much fun, though you _are_ leaving me."

            They all looked at her in silence, not knowing what to say, when a smile broke out onto her face and she laughed, "You guys, I'm just kidding. You guys deserve this. Besides, it would be kind of hectic, what, with me taking my OWL's this year, and all," she said, with still disappointed eyes.

            "Gin, I'm sorry, I never realized how this would affect you," Hermione said.

            "Don't worry about it. It's not as if you guys are my only friends," she smiled weakly.

            "Well, hey, Gin, I'll bring you something when we come back, okay?" Ron offered.

            "Yeah, and we'll write every day, okay, Ginny?" Harry added a little too enthusiastically, making Ginny blush furiously, and Harry, the same.

            "I said it was okay, guys, so let's move on," Ginny sat down next to Hermione and started to load her plate.

            "I would like to make one more announcement," Professor Dumbledore began to speak again, making the entire Great Hall quiet down, "There will be a meeting between all those involved and myself at the end of this week. We will discuss when you will be leaving, and what you may expect from your studies at Durmstrang. We will meet here, in the Great Hall, at 2:30 on Saturday. Now, please continue!" Professor Dumbledore then sat down and went back to his dinner.

            As soon as they were finished eating, Harry and Ginny went with the rest of the Gryffindors to the common room while Ron and Hermione had to stay back in the Great Hall, for it was their night to man the halls; part of their responsibilities as prefects. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday they combined with the prefects from Slytherin, Malfoy and Pansy, while the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects took patrol on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; professors were in charge on Saturdays.

            "Last year was so much more exciting than this year," Ron commented as he and Hermione walked out the oak doors and into a hall. "I mean, I know that I would rather have Dumbledore back, but at least we had someone who we didn't care if we got expelled by. It made it a lot easier to break the rules," Ron added.

            Hermione nodded and concentrated on the events of last year. It was true; she didn't mind bending the rules last year, which could have gotten the three of them thrown out of Hogwarts in a heartbeat. She still agreed that they accomplished a lot, and that their achievements would be of use to them in the future.

            "Yes, it was a bit more interesting. We did have a rather ridiculous amount of things to worry about, though," Hermione started, "Trying to hide our DA practices got tiresome after a while," she said this as they rounded a corner and continued to go down the corridor.

            "I guess you're right. I just thought it was brilliant how Harry was able to teach everyone so well. Look how much they all learned!" Ron stated as he looked at the portraits on the walls.

            "Yes, it was. At least we know that many more people will be able to defend themselves if they find that they are in that situation," Hermione agreed, staring straight ahead. "I just wish that more people could have had the cha…"

            Hermione was interrupted by fierce whispers coming from further up the corridor. One voice was that of a boy, who sounded extremely upset at the other voice, which was a girl.

            "You don't get it," the first voice said, blatantly, "He doesn't see that he's being stupid. He is so caught up with being 'loyal' that he doesn't see that it's an ambush!"

            "How do you _know_ that it's an ambush, though? Couldn't you just be overreacting? Besides, it's his job to be loyal," the second voice countered. 

            Hermione grabbed Ron by his cloak, almost tripping him, dragged him with her, and pressed the both of them against the wall.

"I just know, okay. I trust _my_ instincts, not _his_. And as for 'it's his job to be loyal,'" the first voice said, in a high, obvious mocking voice, "it's also his job to make my life hell, which he could do if he was blind, mute, _and_ deaf. What makes you think he isn't loyal the same way? He's in denial, and I'm going to laugh when it gets him _killed_," the voice said, sourly.

The voices quieted as they went down a different corridor, and Hermione and Ron stepped away from the wall and continued to walk.

"That was definitely Pansy and Malfoy," Ron stated proudly.                                                    

"Yes, I realized. I've heard both their voices plenty these past five years to know that was them. I wonder who Malfoy was talking about." Hermione thought aloud as they continued.

"Do you think it had anything to do with that time he had a fight with Lucious? I mean, he did say that whoever it was makes his life hell. Who else does but his own father?" Ron offered, looking for an answer from Hermione.

"I don't know," Hermione said slowly as they passed the corridor Pansy and Malfoy had just walked down, "It is definitely a possibility. But who would ambush Lucious?"

As soon as she said this, her eyes widened and she turned to Ron, "We'll talk about this later with Harry. We need to finish up our time. It's about 9:30 now, so we'll be done in about an hour."

Ron nodded, but kept his mouth shut. It was very apparent that Hermione had made up her mind, and it was a fact that once she did, there was no swaying her decision.

"So, how are Quidditch practices going?" she asked, finally, as they climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.

            Saturday seemed to come as quickly as the summer holidays had gone, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron, as well as the other sixth years seemed to note that this year had already proven to be much more relaxed than last year.

            "I am so glad that we do not have to worry about any major tests, this year," Hermione said to her two friends as they walked down to the Great Hall for lunch.

            "Seriously," Ron agreed as they walked through the oak doors and started to their table, "I don't know what I would do if I had to go through that again."

            They sat down at the table and started to grab sandwiches and other things to eat when a sound of wings came from above their heads.

             A brown barn owl landed on the table in front of Hermione with a Daily Prophet. She paid the bird and pulled the newspaper off and opened it; looking for something that could be of interest to the other two.

            "Anything in there that I should know about?" Harry asked dully, remembering all of the things the Daily Prophet had said about him the summer before fifth year.

            "If you mean, 'Is there anything that says that I am a lying, mental basket case?', then no," Hermione reassured him without looking up from the paper. "However, there is a piece about the foreign exchange program in here. It doesn't say much, but it does mention our names."

            Hermione folded the paper and set it down on the table and continued to eat her lunch.

            "Just a reminder," a voice started talking from the professors' table, making the Great Hall quiet down, "There is a meeting this afternoon here, in the Great Hall, for those participating in the foreign exchange program. I look forward to speaking with you about this wonderful opportunity." Professor Dumbledore sat back down and the Great Hall turned back to their lunches.

            "As if we wouldn't remember," Ron started, "It's not like he hasn't mentioned it every night at supper."

            "Yes, he has, Ron, but that just goes to show that he is just as excited as we are," Hermione explained. "Besides, there are some who are thick enough to forget," she said this while looking over at the Slytherin table.

            She eyed Malfoy, who was sitting next to Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle and had apparently just said something incredibly funny. She thought about all the times that he had mocked her and played tricks on her. Just as she was about to turn away, he glanced up at her and grinned maliciously.

            "Hmmf," she made a questionable noise that was clearly angry, and Malfoy looked away from her glare.

            "What was that about, 'Mione?" Harry asked, looking at her with concern.

            "Oh, nothing," Hermione answered, knowing that Harry and Ron would only tell her to not let him get to her.

            "Hey, let's hurry and finish so we'll have a bit of time to go to the Quidditch field before the meeting, alright, Harry?" Ron asked, just before stuffing the last half of his sandwich into his mouth.

            "Charming," Hermione said, though somewhat used to Ron's eating habits.

            "Alright, then. Are you coming, too, 'Mione?" Harry asked.

            "I guess I could come," she started, "though it _does_ seem as though we have been spending most of our time there."

            "We need to be ready, Hermione!" Ron started as he stood up from the table, "We want to win any match we play before we leave, right?"

            "Okay, Ron, I understand. Let's go," Hermione said, obviously frustrated, and the other two followed her from the Great Hall.

            After about an hour down on the Quidditch field, Harry, Hermione and Ron made their way back to the Great Hall.

            "I wonder what Dumbledore is going to say to us?" Hermione thought aloud.

            "Probably just to have a good time and to be on our best behavior," Harry answered.

            "Or that he's coming with us," Ron added.

            "Okay, Ron, what are the chances that the Headmaster at Hogwarts would actually leave the school for a year. Not very likely," Hermione stated, as if it was obvious.

            "I know that," Ron groaned, "I didn't mean he would come with us for the entire year, I just meant to get us all situated."

            "That does sound like something he would do, Hermione," Harry offered.

            "Whatever," Hermione said as they entered the Great Hall to see a few different people there.

            As they looked around the hall, they noticed that two of the Hufflepuffs, Justin and Hannah, were there, as well as all three of the Ravenclaws, Cho Chang, Michael Corner, and Marietta Edgecombe.

            Cho turned and made eye contact with Harry and turned away again without so much as a smile. Harry groaned.

            "This should be interesting," he said as Malfoy, Pansy, and Blaise filed in with Ernie Macmillan a few steps behind them.

            "Don't worry about her, mate," Ron clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder, "She's a bit on the crazy side, anyways."

            "_Just_ because she was jealous does _not _mean that she is crazy, Ron," Hermione snapped.

            "I guess they're all crazy," Ron whispered to Harry, who laughed through his nose and then turned to look at the ceiling. He had heard these fights before, and he knew that this was just the beginning.

            "You know, Ron, I do _not_ understand…"

            "Oh, _there's_ a first," Ron interrupted.

            "What is up with you lately? You are never like this!" Hermione asked.

            "I guess I'm just sick of you putting me down. Look, I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to be rude," Ron apologized, making Harry listen in on the conversation again. The words, "I'm sorry" are usually never in a sentence spoken by Ron or Hermione.

            Hermione stared at him in disbelief. Before she could say anything at all, Professor Dumbledore walked into the room and gathered them all to one table.

            "Please sit here, so I can speak to you all at once," he said as they all gathered around the table and sat down with those in their house.

"I would like to you to observe the way in which you are sitting," they each looked around the table, "I understand that this is what the students at Hogwarts have grown comfortable and accustomed with. I do hope that this experience will allow you to develop friendships outside your houses. There is much to learn from others with different strengths, but much more to learn from those who have different weaknesses. By understanding what others cannot do, it forces us to understand the things that we _can_ do. This kind of understanding is what makes us all strong not only within ourselves, but also when we are together. This is what I wish for you to learn while you are away." Dumbledore paused and looked at the students for a moment with a look of concern, and then he continued. "There will be those who will want you to turn against each other and will do anything in their power to make you fail to stand together. It is crucial that you all learn to understand that everyone is different and has different beliefs than you do." Dumbledore looked from Malfoy to Harry while saying this. He smiled faintly when he glanced at a glassy-eyed Ron and realized that he was losing his audience.

"Now that I have preached my wishes for you," Dumbledore began, "I have information about this program that I am sure you would like to know. You will be leaving in precisely two weeks. This will give Durmstrang plenty of time to prepare for your stay. I expect you to be ready to leave with your belongings around 10 o'clock on Saturday morning. You will travel on the Hogwarts Express and will arrive on Sunday around lunch. When you arrive, the new Headmaster, Professor Goldstein, will welcome you and explain further regulations that will apply to you there." Dumbledore then stood up from the table and looked around at each of the Hogwarts students.

"Please remember that while you are away, you shall be representing Hogwarts. I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and tolerance is a must. You are now free to leave and do whatever it is you do on Saturday afternoons. Oh yes, one last thing," Hermione had begun to stand up but sat back down, pulling Ron down with her when Dumbledore started to talk, "remember to have a good time. You have all earned this privilege, so remember to have fun. That is all."

They each stood from their seats and started to walk from the Great Hall.

When Hermione, Ron, and Harry exited the castle onto the grounds, they were each quiet until they found a place by the lake.

"This is going to be an interesting year," Hermione commented while looking at the lake.

"Yeah, sure is. What do you think Dumbledore meant about others wanting to turn us against each another?" Ron thought as the giant squid surfaced above the water.

"He knows something that we don't, that's for sure," said Harry. "What he was saying sort of sounded like the sorting hat's warning last year, don't you think?"

Hermione thought for a moment while Ron continued to stare at the squid, listening to the conversation. "You're right, Harry. I remember the sorting hat saying that we must all join together within Hogwarts or all is lost," Hermione thought, recalling the sorting hat's song last year.

"So, what you're saying is that not only does Dumbledore know something that we don't, which is not at all surprising, but the sorting hat does, too?" Ron asked, turning his head back to Harry and Hermione.

"Why not? It _does_ live in Dumbledore's office, right? It could have heard anything suggesting trouble here at Hogwarts," Hermione stated.

"Huh. That's interesting," Ron commented.

"I guess there's not much that we can do except try to be tolerant of Malfoy?" Harry offered, trying to hide his disgust, but failed.

"Who knows, maybe he took to heart what Dumbledore was saying. You never know," Hermione defended when she looked at Ron, who was staring at her with disbelief.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I guess we'll find out with time," Harry started, standing up, "besides, if trouble _is_ coming, we might as well just sit back and wait until it does. It will turn up eventually; it seems to always happen that way."

"You're right. It's no use worrying about it now when we can deal with it later. I'm tired of looking for a problem, anyway," Hermione said, as she lifted her hands, indicating to Harry that she needed help up.

Ron stayed sitting for a while, apparently lost in thought about something that seemed to worry him because he had a look of concern on his face.

"It'll be okay, Ron," Hermione reassured, "Besides, we've been through so much already. What makes you think that we can't deal with a few people from Durmstrang?"

Ron smiled and looked up at Hermione. He nodded and stood up. They made their way back to the castle together quietly, thinking about the sorting hat's warning, and what was waiting for them at Durmstrang.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Please review! I hope you liked!

SG


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